Is it possible to travel the globe in electric vehicles powered by renewable energy offsets? We’ll find out soon — the “Zero Race”, an 80 day around-the-world excursion, just launched today. The race pits electric vehicles from Australia, Germany, South Korea and Switzerland against each other on a journey through Mexico, Europe, Russia, China, Canada, and the U.S., ending in January 2011.

There are stringent rules, of course. Teams can charge up wherever they please, but all EV charging must be offset with credits from sustainable energy producers. Even so, the trip will be cheap — Australian team TREV estimates that the whole journey will cost just $360.

The Zero Race may not completely prove the viability of all-electric vehicles — the teams have a pre-planned route, and many locations don’t have charging infrastructures — but it’s a start. Stay tuned — we’ll be tracking the teams as they make their way around the world!